The full value of big data will only be realized when organizations approach it in a manner that places personal privacy at the forefront. So, if we want to unlock the positive potential of big data, we need to approach it in a way that simultaneously fosters innovations that will help our society and mitigates risks associated with using data in new and different ways.

Repeatedly over this past year, prompted by the American election, one hears the question: "Where are our great leaders?" And then everyone gets down to dissecting politicians, exposing their every weakness, and bemoaning their increasing lack of capability. That is surely accurate, but there's another explanation to add to this rationale: we don't have real leaders anymore because we don't have followers.

Independence of thought and transparency are principles that guide good research. So, what to make of a Canadian foreign policy discussion dominated by individuals with ties to the same decision-making structures they study? The Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NPSIA) is a prime example.

As of this summer, there are 158 boil-water advisories in place for 114 First Nation communities and while that may seem startling enough, it does not reveal the full extent of water problems facing First Nations communities. There are reservations that lack basic housing let alone running water, which leaves people relying on overpriced bottled water, cisterns and water brought in on trucks and well water which causes illnesses such as gastrointestinal disorders due to contamination.

Every day, the news through all its venues reaches us with increasing calls to humanity to rise to the occasion and effect change. Our great danger is the temptation to move from one issue to another, like a stone skipping over a quiet pond, instead of sticking to our original commitments, seeing them through to the end. Just such a cause occurred 842 days ago, when the Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram captured 276 Nigerian schoolgirls, dragging them off into captivity and the kinds of horror that are too easy to imagine.

Ontario produces more asparagus than the rest of Canada combined, with 90 growers alone in the province; this amounts to 3500 acres worth of asparagus to harvest from. It is a $25 million dollar industry. Due to asparagus farmers investing in this kind of research and breeding, initially, it was a success story. But circumstances quickly changed.

As we take pride in our diversity and innovative ideas, why keep neglecting such a large asset of our society? Instead of aiming simply to improve indigenous peoples' relationship with the state, let's cultivate innovation for economic and social development and benefit the whole country.

So I hear you are thinking of proroguing the Provincial Parliament, likely as a prelude to a cabinet shuffle in the hopes of raising your incredibly poor poll numbers. While there has been no shortage of scandals for your government, the reality is the biggest issue facing you is health care.

While "equal pay for work of equal value" is enshrined in law under Ontario's Pay Equity Act, the gender wage gap is a serious issue. Statistics Canada data estimates the gap to be anywhere between 12 to 31.5 per cent and RBC estimates it is costing the Canadian economy $168 billion in lost income.

The belief in a fairer and more just world, never fully prioritized by the other parties, has been the shining "city on a hill" for the NDP for decades and remains a stirring vision. It still sustains them as they move forward and Canadians still require their outlook. The question is: will it remain their principal and overriding passion or will their recent nearness to power have them seeking more power than purpose?

The reality is that crime fuels a multi-billion dollar industry; I am not talking about the money generated from those who commit crimes, but the system designed to stop them: The Justice System. Not only does it contribute to our economic system but it actually gives the majority of its participants a purpose and an identity. How many lawyers do you meet and don't learn of their occupation within minutes? Officers and Judges are no different: They define themselves by their roles in the system.

The first budget delivered by the Liberals signaled a return to 1970s Trudeaupian Liberalism, not just with its flagrant disregard for balanced budgets and ballooning debt, but also by disregarding a core accountability under our Constitution: Canada's military.

By making it easier to navigate the tax rules and meet their obligations, Canadians will spend less time and less of their money on preparing their taxes, leaving more in their pockets. For Canadian businesses, productivity could improve as they spend less time, effort and capital dealing with tax compliance and red tape.

Across its 4,440-km route, the Canadian provides an essential service to many communities without other public transportation options. It attracts large numbers of international tourists to the Canadian Rockies and communities like Jasper, Alberta. It is a globally-recognized symbol of Canada, and graces our $10 bank notes.

The city starts its $35-million makeover of Burrard Bridge this month, so expect traffic chaos. Mostly, though, I feel hoodwinked by the consultation process, which changed nothing except for adding a major element which was not spoken of at all. The city decided, after the consultation, to include suicide prevention barriers after one single health officer spoke to the city to insist they should be done.

Forcillo and Yatim didn't live in a vacuum. Ontario has hundreds of thousands of public sector employees, and millions of citizens. The point that is conveniently missed is the lack of accountability in Ontario is not something unique to the relationship between police and citizen. It's not as if the police has a unique culture, interfacing with a society that the rest of the public sector doesn't engage. Accountability is a two-way process. We have a cultural accountability problem.

It seems that far too often the government and people here at home are more willing to rally around civil and political rights violations. Bill C-51, for example, drew waves of protest across the country. Compare that to how Canadians responded to the squalid conditions faced by 4.9 million people living in poverty. But rights are so important to the way that we understand poverty in Canada. Rights put people at the centre of policy decisions that affect them -- they bring dignity and humanity back to the conversation.

Just as Trudeau did when he invited the public to the swearing-in of his cabinet ministers at Rideau Hall, or by meeting with the provincial and territorial ministers for the first time since 2009, or by attending the UN climate change summit with his provincial counterparts and opposition leaders, Trudeau is signalling that his is a different government. Gone is Stephen Harper's uncaring, exclusionary and secretive government.
Instead, the Liberals are saying, they will be open, transparent, collaborative and caring. Time will tell whether they hold true to those promises.

The world needs the leaders to agree to a shared vision, matched by commitments, so that all of us -- the industry, governments, civil society and consumers -- can work together to halt and reverse the demise of the world's precious forests. We cannot stand by idly hoping to reverse recent devastation.